Latest news with #SeaLamprey
Global News
27-05-2025
- General
- Global News
Efforts to limit population of invasive ‘vampire fish' in Canada's Great Lakes underway
Action is finally being taken against an aggressive invasive species that has been surging across the Great Lakes in Ontario. The spike in sea lampreys has triggered a joint campaign between Canada and the U.S. to protect the region's $5.1-billion freshwater fishery. The work began in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and will likely continue till October. Some of the population control methods include lampricides (a chemical treatment), traps and barriers. Story continues below advertisement Sea lampreys, also known as vampire fish, were accidentally introduced through shipping canals into the Great Lakes in 1921. They use their mouths with 150 teeth and serrated tongues to attach to prey, killing up to 40 pounds of fish during their parasitic stage. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Before sea lamprey control, the species killed far more fish than humans did, causing considerable economic and ecological damage. View image in full screen The mouth of a Sea Lamprey features 150 teeth and a tongue that is cerated. Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images A new study confirms that lamprey numbers rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 forced crews to pause treatments and millions of lamprey larvae survived as a result. Ethan Baker, chair of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said the rise was expected. 'Ongoing, consistent sea lamprey control is critically important for preventing damage to Great Lakes fish by invasive sea lampreys,' Baker said in an April 10 news release. Story continues below advertisement 'Research shows that sea lamprey control must continue each year to keep populations of this harmful invasive species in check.' In 2024, adult sea lamprey counts were 8,619 above pre-COVID-19 averages. Lake Superior and Lake Ontario saw the biggest increases. Numbers in lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie are starting to stabilize. 'If we take our foot off the gas, even for a short while, sea lamprey populations will increase rapidly and cause considerable damage to fish,' Baker said. Control efforts have since resumed, but scientists and officials warn that the damage done during the pause will take years to reverse. 'Sea lamprey control is critical to safeguard the prosperity of the region,' Baker said.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fish ladder in Holyoke opens for season following upgrades
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Robert E. Barrett Fishway at the Holyoke Dam is open to the public after being closed for upgrades. The Robert E. Barrett Fishway allows migrating fish to make it over the Holyoke Dam, but due to upgrades to the hydroelectric unit at the Hadley Falls Station last year, the fishway was closed to the public. The fishway is operated by Holyoke Gas & Electric and consists of two 'lifts' that carry migrating fish up the Connecticut River. It was built in 1955 and was the first fish lift on the Atlantic Coast. As the fish swim upstream, against the current, they make their way into the traction water which flows just alongside the dam. They then swim into the fish lift. Local fisherman catches prehistoric fish in Connecticut River American Shad, Sea Lamprey, and Blueback Herring are just a few of the fish that migrate through the fishway. The American Shad is the most common fish, and so far this year, they've seen over 115,000 of them moving up the river. As of Tuesday, the following fish were counted as they head upstream: Species Weekly Total 5/11-5/17 Year to Date American Shad 89,786 116,294 Blueback Herring 35 50 Gizzard Shad 14 21 Striped Bass 3 4 Sea Lamprey 1,850 2,310 Shad migration takes place during late March or April, and after spawning, they swim back downstream in June and July and may survive to spawn more than once. Sea lampreys are eels that are a common sight in the Connecticut River. After hatching from their eggs, the eels can spend up to four years in rivers and streams, like the Connecticut River, for their 'parasitic phase.' These creepy looking fish can be found in the Connecticut River Records from the Holyoke Dam show that 2,310 sea lampreys have passed through the fish lifts so far this year. Adult sea lampreys can be found in the Connecticut River during May and June. To see these and other fish pass through, the fishway is open to the public through June 15th, Wednesdays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
